Taoba

A new group from the Solomon Islands, Kaumaakonga hail from the small southern isles of Mungava and Mungiki (jointly referred to as Avaiki), which are also known as Rennell and Bellona (RenBel). Their music blends the predominantly Polynesian roots of this region with the Melanesian culture of the wider Solomon Archipelago.

Utilising guitars, panpipes, percussion and vocals, Kaumaakonga (aka KMK) revive traditional Avaiki chants, which were suppressed by European colonisation and religion, in a modern context. With strong ongoing connections to their distant Polynesian forebears, as well as cultural links to nearby Vanuatu, this cross-cultural corner of the Pacific is intriguing. Underscoring the unique mix of Oceanic influences, the vocal harmonies on songs like ‘Ongibao’, ‘Nimo’ and the title-track sound almost Hawaiian, but when the breathy Melanesian panpipes and log drum rhythms kick in on ‘Pungutia (Maghiti)’ and ‘Tonga Puapua (Avaiki Mix)’, it's like a fusion of Papua New Guinea and Tahiti.

With some of the older tunes on Taoba reflecting local oral traditions that date back 26 generations - when Polynesians first migrated westward and settled in Melanesia - this debut album chronicles a fascinating historical journey, and makes Kaumaakonga a band worth keeping an eye and ear on.